Thai Style Coleslaw

Coleslaw is often a staple with barbecue. Some people, like my dad, preferred the more sour version. Me, I prefer a sweeter slaw. But I get bored of the typical slaw served in most restaurants. So, I like to try out different variations. This is one.

Thai Style Coleslaw

3 c. shredded cabbage (or just buy one bag of ready to go coleslaw in the produce section)
One carrot, shredded
One onion, sliced thin
2 t. dried mint
2 t. dried basil
2 T. lime juice
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. water
1 T. sugar
Toasted sesame seeds

Combine everything, except the sesame seeds, in a bowl and mix well. Let sit to blend flavors. Top with sesame seeds. Serve. Enjoy!

Coconut Sesame Chick'n

My husband and my daughter-in-law are both huge fans of coconut. I can take or leave it, but sometimes it does add a nice flavor to dishes. This one is no exception.

Coconut Sesame Chick'n

Olive oil
1 T. sesame seeds
1 T. shredded coconut
One package Gardein Chick'n Scallopini
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked whole green beans

Cook the sesame seeds and coconut in the olive oil until they just start to turn golden. Remove from pan. Add more oil and cook the scallopini until it begins to brown, then add the sesame seeds and coconut back into the pan, on top of the scallopini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve the scallopini over the green beans, and make sure to get a nice dollop of the sesame seeds and coconut on each serving. Enjoy!

Better Ramens

Every college student knows about ramen noodles, and often have found numerous ways to jazz them up a bit. They are inexpensive and simple to make, and while I wouldn't recommend a steady diet of them, they have their uses.

Better Ramens

4 packages ramen noodles, broken up
A handful of green onions, chopped
One can (14 oz) bean sprouts
Toasted sesame oil
1 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
6 T. rice wine vinegar
Seasoning packets from ramens
1 T. soy sauce

Add the noodles to boiling water and cook for one minute. Add chopped onions and bean sprouts to a colander, and drain the noodles on top of them. Dump the colander contents into a big bowl. Heat a little of the sesame oil in a small frying pan and add the nuts and seeds. Stir, stir, stir until they look just a little browned, then add them on top of the noodles. Add the vinegar, 2 T. sesame oil, ramen seasoning and soy sauce to the noodle/nut mixture and stir until everything is well coated. Cover and let stand for the flavors to blend about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

One word of caution - not all ramens are vegan! Be sure to closely read the ingredients before you buy to make sure you don't get something objectionable.

I had no leftovers. My hubby and youngest went back for thirds.

Fettuccine Alfreda with Gomasio

Today is National Pasta Day! What better way to celebrate it than with a cruelty-free alfredo? We renamed it alfreda.

Fettuccine Alfreda with Gomasio

Fettuccine

One onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 c. vegetable broth

2 t. mustard

2 t. Braggs Aminos

2 t. chili powder

1/2 c. toasted pine nuts

1 c. nutritional yeast

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

Cook the fettuccine according to package directions. Saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add onion and garlic and remaining ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour this pesto like mixture over the drained fettuccine and mix well. Serve with a sprinkle of gomasio.

Gomasio

1/2 c. toasted sesame seeds

1/2 t. sea salt

1/2 t. kelp flakes

Blend in a food processor until well mixed.

This would probably lend itself well to the addition of some seitan chunks, but I didn't consider that until after I was eating it. I have no leftovers; it was completely devoured.

Orange Tofu with Coconut Lime Rice

How many times when you are watching tv do you see the ubiquitous Chinese takeout boxes? It seems whenever characters onscreen do takeout, it's Chinese. Kind of like every time you see a character with a grocery bag, there is a loaf of French bread sticking out. As if these food items are so recognizable, that no one can mistake what is going on. It strikes me as amusing.

There are several Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese restaurants near where I live. We have our choice when we get in the mood for something delectably Asian. More often than not, though, when the family's taste buds are so inclined, they ask me to make something at home. Nothing beats homemade in their minds, and I so agree!

Orange Tofu with Coconut Lime Rice

2 t. arrowroot powder
1 t. orange zest
1/2 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
3 T. tamari
2 T. maple syrup
2 T. apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1/8 t. salt
1  package extra firm tofu, frozen in package, boiled to thaw, pressed and drained and sliced into 1/2 thick squares
1/4 c. green onions, thinly sliced
1 T. sesame seeds

In a shallow baking dish, mix arrowroot powder with orange juice until powder is fully dissolved. Mix in orange zest, tamari, maple syrup, vinegar, garlic cloves, sesame oil and salt. Combine well. Add tofu and be sure to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate and marinate at least an hour. Place in cold oven, bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Turn tofu over and bake again, uncovered for a few minutes more, until sauce is bubbling at the edges. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions and serve with Coconut Lime Rice.

Coconut Lime Rice

1 c. rice (we like basmati)
13-1/2 oz. can light coconut milk
1/2 c. water
1-1/2 t. lime zest
2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 t. salt

Combine all ingredients except zest in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 35-45 minutes. Stir in lime zest and serve.

Jennifer Lee, in her book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles points out that there are “some 40,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States—more than the number of McDonald’s, Burger Kings and KFCs combined.” Americanized Chinese food includes variations of the original dishes from China or new creations from the United States. Take, for example, the fortune cookie. Its origins are often contested, but a general consensus concludes it was created in San Francisco.

Also, chop suey, a dish of chopped meats cooked with vegetables like cabbage, celery and bean sprouts cooked in a thick sauce, was allegedly created by Chinese immigrants who came to California to mine for gold and work on the Transcontinental Railroad. They used whatever ingredients were available and also created dishes modified to suit a non-Chinese population.

Take General Tso, for example. General Tso’s chicken is virtually unknown in China but there was a real 19th-century general named Tso in Hunan Province who was involved in the bloodiest civil war in human history but his “long march across China” did not explain how “his long march across America" came to pass.
 
The driving force behind Chinese cooking is the desire to adapt and incorporate indigenous ingredients and utilize Chinese cooking techniques. I see this here in Texas with Mexican food, using local ingredients with a Mexican flare. We call it Tex-Mex, and I have to admit, I favor it over more traditional Mexican food.
 
If you like Chinese food, experiment with some dishes, like this Orange Tofu dish and have fun with it. Buy some chopsticks (but be aware of the environmental impact and get some that aren't disposable), watch a Jackie Chan movie (no one can move quite like that man can!) and be sure to celebrate Chinese New Year.